Bo knows Davis and the best of Louis Murphy

Bo Jackson had some things to say about Al Davis in a Los Angeles Times interview and receiver Louis Murphy made a couple of appearances online.

17 days until training camp …

Here’s Bo:

Q: Al Davis, the Raiders’ owner, let you play out the baseball season then join his team midway through the football season. What are your memories of Al Davis, and of playing in the Los Angeles Coliseum?

A: Everybody stands up and says, ‘Al Davis, that crazy SOB.’ That isn’t so. This is a man who would have fought a lion with as switch to defend his players.

This is my opinion, and my opinion only, but the reason the Raiders left Los Angeles was because of the condition of our place of work. The public just got to see the outside of the stadium, which is beautiful. But after a game we had to stand in line to take a shower. There were 20 or 25 shower heads — and only four of them had a steady stream of water coming out of them.

When you have conditions like that, you’ve got to go to greener pastures. That’s what Mr. Davis did.

Mr. Davis tells you exactly what he thinks. That’s what I like about him.

From the time I left the Raiders he called my wife and I every Christmas, and he called my wife on her birthday and sent her flowers. That is the type of man Al Davis is. He will always remain one of the most distinguished men I’ve ever had the opportunity to shake hands with.

“There’s a buzz going around the locker room,” Murphy said. “Everyone is upbeat and ready for the season. I think the buzz is a real buzz — it’s not false enthusiasm. Offseason workouts were great, a lot of guys showed up. I can’t explain this buzz. Everyone is energetic and excited because we all feel we’ll have a great season.”

“Everybody is just going out to practice with the mentality of being a playoff team. It’s at the forefront of everyone’s mind that we’re going to be a playoff team this season.”

Which rookies impressed Murphy the most?

“The standout from the beginning has been McClain. He’s a beast in the middle. He’s still picking things up and learning the defense, but his presence alone is eye-opening. I also like LaMarr Houston, I really like is motor.”

A: Yeah, I talked to Sanjay at the combine for awhile. We had talked. I thought they had their receiver who they wanted, so I was just looking for another team. I thought I was going to the Patriots, and the Raiders traded up, traded to that pick. I saw the area code when they called, and I thought, ‘I think I’m going to Cali’, so it kind of all happened fast. The Patriots were really interested. Coach Belichick knows [Florida] Coach [Urban] Meyer, and asked a lot about me. I talked with them on the phone. So pretty much when the Patriots came up in the fourth round, I thought that’s where I might be going.”

Me and Sanjay’s relationship is going along well. He’s a good receivers coach. He’s really detailed. He’s taken my game to the next level. He really focuses on the little things. He’s got the natural ability to speak and let it go, but he really focuses on my details. How good are my routes coming out in and out of my breaks. I thought I had it all, you know, just like every rookie. When it really broke down on film, coming in and out of breaks at the top of the route is pretty much the difference between a good receiver and a great receiver. Being able to run a route and beat a DB at the top of your route, so we’ve been focusing on that a lot. We’re focusing on burst after the catch, trying to score on every play. So he’s really on me about that, and I’m thankful to have him as a receivers coach. He’s really laid-back, but he’s a stickler for a lot of the little things, a lot of the fundamentals to the game where sometimes a player could take it out of their repertoire and just go off their natural ability.

Q: What has working with [new offensive coordinator Hue] Jackson been like?

A: Oh man, it’s been great. There’s an intensity to practice there that’s pretty great. Always on high adrenaline, always challenging the defense to make us better, and for us to make them better. It’s a totally different vibe with Hue than last year. He’s really a great coach. All the good things you’ve heard about him are pretty much true. He changes up a lot with the line and the running backs and using different guys at different positions, so I think he’s going to cause some more problems for defenses this year.”

Finally, the wife got in the Raiders spirit and made some of Zack Crockett’s famous macaroni and cheese for dinner. The recipe was in Oakland magazine and I believe the former running back and current scout has a cookbook out. Good birthday gift for Raiders fans if you can find it.